UPDATE: FCC Needs To Be Convinced John Oliver’s Call To Action On Net Neutrality Crashed Its Comments System (Video)

UPDATED, 6:30 PM:An FCC rep today has been telling reporters it’s not clear if Monday’s disruption to its email comments system was caused by John Oliver‘s call to action. Only one way to find out — another Oliver call to action.

We’re still experiencing technical difficulties with our comment system. Thanks for your patience as we work to resolve the issues. — The FCC (@FCC) June 2, 2014

The tweets appeared yesterday after Oliver called on viewers to lodge protest with the FCC, which Oliver noted now is run by Tom Wheeler, the guy who used to head the cable companies’ lobbying efforts — which Oliver likened to hiring a dingo to babysit your infant.

On his Sunday show, Oliver said cable companies are trying to create an unequal playing field for Internet speeds, but they’re doing it so boringly that most news outlets aren’t covering it. Oliver explained the controversy, and urged viewers to voice their displeasure to the FCC: “I would like to address internet commenters out there directly. Good evening, monsters. This may be the moment you’ve spent your whole lives training for….For once in your life, we need you to channel that anger — that badly spelled bile that you normally reserve for unforgiveable attacks on actresses you seem to think have put on weight, or politicians that you disagree with, or photos of your ex-girlfriend getting on with her life… We need you to get out and, for once in your lives, focus your indiscriminate rage in a useful direction. Seize your moment my lovely trolls, turn on caps lock, and fly my pretties, fly, fly!

20 Comments

Ally Oop • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

I’m not clear on the whole internet speed controversy but I do know that I’ve had it up to here with my own internet speed. My PVR isn’t recording my shows for some frustrating reason so in the last couple of days I’ve tried watching the last Orphan Black episode online but my internet speed is too slow and the video keeps freezing. I’m supposed to be getting high speed but it’s only high speed rarely. You’d think that by now internet speeds would be improving but I think I had higher speeds 3 years ago.

B.J • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

Thanks! Please be sure to keep everyone posted.

make the internet a utility! • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

Don’t be a jerk. This is exactly what will get ordinary people motivated about this to stop the FCC from selling the internet to the highest bidder. Most people don’t care about legal, technical or regulatory abstractions. They get motivated only when something impacts them directly.

For starters, everyone should google “comcast netflix speed chart” and get a visualization of Comcast’s gangster tactics, and depending on your ISP, may do something to help explain why your speeds are inadequate. And this is the company the FCC wants to sell out to!

Jacob • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

I don’t want to be dismissive, but please read up on this. The speed of downloads is only a symptom of the bigger problem which is that the ISPs are being given free reign to hold data hostage in exchange for money. It violates the underlying principle of a free and open Internet and sets a dangerous precedent for the future. Making Netflix slower is just step one.

Sweden • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

You can watch the clip to get your answer. In fact, John Oliver has a job for you to do.

goodbar1979 • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

fantastic :)

Christophe • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

Power to the People!

Edmund Singleton • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

Not happy with your internet service provider? Its like being all dressed up and no place to go…

fed up • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

And that is the real problem. If there was real competition, Comcast et al couldn’t piss off customers with impunity. Too bad my ISP (Sonic) isn’t available nationwide. They deliver the speed they advertised and when my speeds were dropping, sent out a competent technician to fix the problem. (He found some wiring in my 100 year old building held together with electrician’s tape! LOL!)

Then they called ME to follow up and make sure I was happy. A far cry from waiting on hold for half an hour to get some clueless bozo. But the fact that Comcast and their ilk has monopoly control over what should be a utility is far from accidental. It is just another example of the collusion between government and corporate interests.

HAP • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

The US has a piss poor standing in the international community when it comes to internet speed. Yeah for capitalism!

Mr. Majestyk • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

Foreign broadband is not only faster, but often cheaper.

gfgjkjhjhjjj • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

US invented the Internet. Yeah for capitalism!

Grant • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

That is truly fantastic.

sean • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

“… this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and government of the special interests, by the special interests, for the special interests, shall not perish from the earth.”

Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863

DarkDefender • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

That was brilliant!

Johan • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

Tom Wheeler is funny, he thinks he’s a big power player, but he’s doing errand boy work for the Telco companies. The Republicans are going to use him as a sacrificial lamb, publicly denounce him as a media frontman for the democratic party, and hang him out on a vine to dry. Tom Wheeler’s power is finite and his complicity with the major Telco monopolies is working against him from multiple fronts. I look forward to watching his demise…..it will be a work of art.

John Oliver’s call to action was exactly what I have been waiting for in this public comment period. I have been up on the issue and reading all of the latest, but it never felt like large amounts of people were mobilizing or coalescing around the issue. This was a great kick. It needs to continue. When we don’t speak, our silence does. I recorded a podcast with the campaign director for net neutrality at Free Press, the organization behind SaveTheInternet.com. If you’d like to hear more, check it ou: http://www.matthewmcqueeny.com/2014/06/60-josh-levy.html

If you would like to see Tom Wheeler removed as the Chairman of the FCC please sign here http://wh.gov/ls5HZ

Andrew • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

Also, BTW… I have crapcast and I only get 6MB down with their “Speed Boost” (Aka, Router caching… Aka, fake speed) making it 20MB and I am getting ripped off 60$ per month to have some of the crappiest internet on the face of the planet. My buddy who lived in the same state (1hr away) has Charter with 60MB down for 30$ per month and he was not having nearly the same issues. (What is wrong with this picture)… Then to add pain to injury, they keep overloading the node at the end of our street by throwing everyone and their mother on there with their Pre-2000 equipment expecting it to handle the load. I have done wireshark captures on my modem a few times now and it is nothing but garbage. Re-transmissions and DUPACKs, this is the kind of internet service I would expect in mexico where there are no wiring standards in a 3rd world country but this is in America making it downright pathetic. Then they have the balls to tell me that the issue is on my end. I even went through the entire house replacing all of my Coax with Quadshild RG6 2300 MHz cable and putting in 3Ghz splitters and compression crimps along with an inline AMP. I also made sure that I had no 90deg bends in less than a 5″ turn so the core would not break and only having one two way splitter with a direct run to the cable modem. But they still have the balls to tell me that the issue is on my end. Every time they send out a tech, they see the strongest signal they have ever seen and yet they refuse to address the issue. Also, if you want to see a speed increase, change your router to use (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4) (Google DNS), you will see the speed pickup on your end. It has been my experience that the same wonderful service provider you are using cannot maintain their DNS servers either.

dc • on Jun 3, 2014 6:30 pm

I apologize for bringing party polotics into this but that 1 comment had to be addressed. Republicans have been slamming the government for giving up control of the net and losing what is basically freedom of speech long before it became public.
Please people, quit attacking each other without knowing the whole story by doing alot of homework as we were taught to do in school.
We as a people are smarter than both sides give us credit for and all need to become more educated on issues that matter and quit living and voting by the MTV type editing trap that we’ve all seem to fallen into.
Both sides have great views and horrible views but its come down tosomething scary, I sure dont want a society that condems you as evil if you dont agree with them.
Ive read enough history to know what happens next.
Thx